November 4, 2015 Atlanta - Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin (left) sits next to Dr. Thomas Boston and current Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (right) at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta on Wednesday, November 4, 2015. JONATHAN PHILLIPS / SPECIAL

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed a bully like Trump, Shirley Franklin says

Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, once one of current Mayor Kasim Reed’s biggest backers, called her successor a bully on Wednesday and compared him to President-elect Donald Trump.

In a blog post on her website bloggingwhileblue.com, Franklin accused Reed of attacking her and her son, Cabral Franklin, when the pair disagreed with Reed on issues or held opinions different from his. Cabral Franklin died in 2015.

“Reed’s bullying outbursts are not much different from those we have witnessed these last 18 months in president-elect Donald Trump’s despicable behavior,” Franklin said in the post.

In a response, Jenna Garland, a spokeswoman for Reed, said Wednesday, “We wish former Mayor Franklin a happy Thanksgiving.”

Before taking office in 2010, Reed had counted Franklin among his top confidants and the former mayor has been credited with using her political muscle to help get Reed elected. Reed was also Franklin’s campaign manager during her two successful runs for mayor.

The two have butted heads many times since then, most recently during Andre Dickens’ run for an at-large Atlanta City Council seat in 2014. Franklin backed Dickens while Reed supported, H. Lamar Willis, Dickens opponent. Franklin reportedly questioned Willis’ ethics.

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